Why do You do it?

[Ardan]

I am just wondering why everyone keeps discus.
There is a lot of work. Wc's, feeding, some use live food, new tanks 8), moving tanks, cleaning tanks and water spills :o, sometimes sick fish, some have many tanks to care for, etc

So what drives you to do all this?

Is it the fish, the challenge, or what? ;)

[limige]

oh, now you gone and done it!!

don't make us think about how much we pour ourselves into our hobby! lol

well it has to do with many things, for me i love nature and the outdoors. grew up fishing then hunting, love to watch the animals, some people think hunting is about killing something but it's so much different than that. it's just being outdoors, watching the animals and listening to nature.

keeping fish is part of that, a little part of nature in my home, i beleive it helps keep life into perspective alittle bit.

i had goldfish, swordfish and such when i was young but failed with my tanks. when i was a teen a room mate of mine decided to get some piranaha's, kinda brought back my attraction and i decided to start my own school of piranaha. i bought them dime size and raised them until they were 4-5 inches kept them throughout 3 moves one of which was 120 miles. and ended up with 4 from the 18 i started with.

well i tried a tank of mixed chinchilids, an alibino oscar, jack demnsey, two africans, and a black belt. well one by one they attached eachother until the blackbelt was the last one left.

finally i traded my blackbelt for some discus at greenwoods. i got sick of fish that would just kill eachother and wanted a pretty, colorful community fish. i thought about doing salt water but knew i wasn't ready yet..so greenwoods had a batch of quarter size malboro reds. i bought 3 to begin with. i eyed up a large snakeskin and some other adults that were tagged at $150 each but couldn't afford that.

so when they rejected the flake food and pellets i grew fusterated and hit the internet to learn what i could.
this is how i found the great lakes discus web site.

i called cary and went to meet him, i bought 2 more fish and began learning. i would ask him some questions and he kept pushing me to visit the boards, so i started going to the board on his website just before he closed it and moved to simply!

that's how i found simply which helped feed the addiction and learn enough to have some breeding now.


other than that, it's hard to explain why, i'd like to see how the genetics work, crossing different strains and enjoy watching them grow and pair.

i owe everything to cary strong and the members of simply discus who have taught me so much and continue to teach me all the time. i swear, cary teaches me something almost everytime i talk to him!

[jim_shedden]

they just taste so damn good............... :-X

When I was 16 (30 years ago). I was given a pair of browns. Beleive it or not I had never had fish before. Well, for whatever reason the spawned and the babies hatched and so on and so on. This was at a time when it was still very rare to be breeding discus. I was hooked (excuse the play on words). Unfortunately my career took me to other places and was not able to keep fish. For all those years inbetween however, I never stopped thinking of them. Then three years ago I decided to get back into it and have not looked back.
Why those wild browns spawned for me years ago is unknown to me. I had no idea what I was doing but they grabbed my imagination from then on.

I might add that I have a pair of blue snakeskins that were purchased from Cary 2 years ago as youngsters...........well, they spawned last week and now have about 15 babies on their backs. It appears that I only breed discus every 30 years but they are quality.......... ;D

Jim

[Abercrombie6202]

i'll just keep it short and sum it all up into one word "Pleasure"

[nowings]

For the "PRIZE"!!! Big, wonderful, happy breeding fish!!!!!

Nancy

[April]

all i know is i couldnt live without im sure. at least one tank of nice discus swimming about. ive always had fish. and im the same as limige. cant get enough of nature and outdoors and admiring the little things that some people dont see.
i grew up fishing and hunting and camping and watching nature shows also. and i also love the genetic thing . found it fascinating in biology...and ive also rasied rabbits and a few dogs. so...same thing different shape. but the discus have stole my heart now.

[susankay1]

I love to see them smile!!!! ;D

[Ardan]

8) Cool responses everyone! :)
I find it a challenge and always learn new things from others. Also there is such a variety of color now.
I have had fish almost 30 years, including discus off and on, but have really learned a lot in the last two yrs from Cary and AL and many here at Simply 8)

Jim, you must have been very young when you had your first pair! ;D
I agree April too, the discus are now tops when it comes to animals.

[Mike_Selley]

No other fish is more beautiful, comes in so many different varieties, and shows how much it appreciates every thing you do for it And besides all that I just plain like em! :)

[RyanH]

My parents got me started on fish when I was very young. We have always had fishtanks in the house. Even when I was a very small child I would sit and stare at our tanks for hours. My mother has pictures of me when I was only a few months old sitting in one of those wind-up swings in front of the aquarium just as happy as can be. I've always loved keeping fish. I guess getting into Discus was just a natural evolution. Now that I'm old and married I keep fish for enjoyment and relaxation. My wife even likes having the tanks around. Its just part of our lives.

[EthanCote.com]

The short answer, for their beauty!! They are one of the most awesome looking fresh water fish around for me.

I keep them for the challenge of breeding and raising the spawn with the parents. Yup its still a challenge for me to get a pair to spawn and raise their youngs successfully. ;D


The long version...

This all started back when I was a kid. I recall heading to Zellers and staring at them fish tanks (back then, they had fish tanks in their stores), until one day my parent finally gave in and brought one for me.

Man was I thrilled!!! I recalled purchasing some Angels, platies, guppies and swordfishes. They brough so much pleasure for me hours on end. My parent never understood how I can spend countless hours staring at the fish tank. Since the tank was in my bedroom, I was often found staring at them on my bed until my eye lids can't stay open no more. Staring at the tank alway calm me.

It was the pairing and spawning of my Angels that initiated my interest in Discus. Having read many Angel books, they have always included photos of Discus. I have read of Discus and how they raise their youngs by letting them eat the slim off their back. That has alway interested me. And wouldn't it be cool to see babies eating off the parents' back. Many decades later (ok, I ain't that old, but it sure feels like decades has passed) I'm back in the hobby.

The interest and thought of discus raising their youngs still lingers. They are truly majestic beauty and I can't wait to watch some youngs off their back. ;D

I got the tools and knowledge to do it (thanks to Simply), now it is up to the discus to do their job.

Thanks for letting me babble. ;D


Cheerio,

Chi.

[ronrca]

Me? Well, I enjoy the 'work' involved for a couple of reasons. First, I love seeing the result of growing out fry, seeing beautiful discus contend because of my efforts, it gives me great joy to see the discus swim up to the front of the tank when I enter the room, watching them gracefully swim around the tank, even the pecking/aggression between the discus (reminds me of my sibling bugging each other! LOL).

Second, stress relief! Its something to occupy my thinking instead of busy work and personal problems. Helps me relax from the 'stress' of life especially when I had a bad/hard day at work or Im tired and grumpy. ;) ;D

[chirohorn]

I keep them b/c their beauty & color rivals that of saltwater fishes (but w/o the hassle of having a saltwater tank).

[Harriett]

First, because of their beauty. Then I was just captivated by a whole bunch of things: the fry-"nursing", long term pairing/mating behavior of the parents, the amazing personalities and the differences between them, how interactive they are with people, how (comparatively) smart they are, their long lifespan, the zillion varieties available, and the challenge of keeping them in general! No question that they are a whole lot more work to keep than any other fresh water fish...but I was bored with most everything else. I thought about trying discus for years before the right time/situation presented itself...now I am totally smitten.
I must say that Cary's mentoring has made the difference between floundering and success for me--without his help I really would have bailed. His continuous support and incredible knowledge have been and continue to be priceless to me.
Harriett

[Rick_May]

Well, I've kept fish for the last 20 years but I was bored with the normal run of the mill pet store fish. its the challenge that I like I also love to find what people say can't be done, and show how wrong they are.

[lesley]

Apart from just being beautiful, they are a majestic and responsive fish. I am sure that they will be found to be among the more intelligent of the fish world.

A few years ago, who would have thought that crows could make tools to dig worms out of holes, or that octopi could navigate mazes!! We have a lot to learn about other species, I know that Discus will be found to be as special as we discus keepers know they are!

[brewmaster15]

I don't know .. I guess I just keep them because I wanted a few fish in tank That I could neglect.... not have to worry about water changes, could feed a pinch of flake now and then.. and not have to deal with using heaters.. you know something cheap and easy to care for..... :)

J/k..

more likely because I am an obsessive compulsive type A person who loves a challenge, and enjoys the inherent beauty in this amazing fish.... :) that and I am probably clinically ill or at least mentally ill by comparison to non-aquarium people. :) ;D ;D ;D ;D

-al

[limige]

lol

[mench]

Why do I do it?????? Just the same question the bride asks me....As the kid in one of Bill Cosby's skits always says when his parents ask him why he did that,he replies...I donn know......
I never had fish growing up,never knew anyone who did.After I got married,many,many,many years ago,one of our friends set up some tanks in his basement and began to sell so-called rare fish.Well we used to go over to have dinner and whatever and I would go into the bowels of the cellar and gaze upon what he called "King of the fishes" some royal blue discus.At first I wasn't to impressed,but as time went on and he got more fish in I began to come around to the dark side...
I started with a 55 gal and just had the easy fish at first,mollies,angel's etc,etc..Well I thought this is a breeze,so bring on the "rare guys".My friend ordered some discus for me and the rest is history...I had discus for about 8 months until I killed my third tankful,the the bride stepped in and said enough was enough...Gee I didn't think the smell of dead fish was that bad....
Pan ahead 25 yrs,another person who we just met invited us over for dinner and drinks,after dinner he said come downstairs and see what I have down there...well he had tank after tank of super discus,and pairs and fry and my eyes got big and when I went back upstairs the bride knew by the look in my eyes the she was in trouble....
This time I had the dreaded puter and got on line found some fish boards and asked a zillion questions before I got my first fish.
Now that I learned the right way to keep them I just love grabbing a book,going down to the fish room and reading and watching the fish do their thing,it is soooooooo relaxing after a hard day of doing all the tiring retired person stuff.....Now my grandson comes over and likes to help me with the fish,just can't talk his mom into setting up his own tank yet...maybe soon.
And thats the end...well maybe not the end,but whats going on so far...thanks to all the great people I have come across on the boards and the help and info my fish keeping is a bunch easier and a whole lot more fun...
Thanks for reading.....

Mench

So what drives you to do all this? Is it the fish, the challenge, or what? ;)

I'm a big fan of nature's best! Love those exotic green forests, blue, green and turquoise oceans, I'm infatuated with sea creatures. This is my first time keeping Discus and it's a pleasure; they're communicable in their own way (that is if one really pays good attention). Much like the Dolphins which I love dearly. Keeping aquarium is tranquil and soothing to the eyes and ears. :sleeping: :sleeping:

:thumbsup:

[Ardan]

Hey, I'm glad I started this thread! I have seen some neat responses and get a sense of how caring all of you are for these fish! 8) And how these fish seem to help all of us relax and enjoy life!

Al and Mench, LMAO, fun to read! ;D

[kjmillerfw]

The jury is still out on me...however, I am right along the lines of Al and that "Type A" thingy....I love a challenge and I will have to say...so far, I've been dealt one!

I get such enjoyment out of opening the frig and seeing the CBW crawling out of their keepers right next to hubby's favorite brew...seeing my living room being taken over by what was supposed to be ONE aquarium that has turned into a couple now....my enclosed patio room has been turned into a aging tank room but my birds and dogs don't seem to mind...also in my living room are separate buckets, hoses, gloves and scrubbie things for each tank...

I've lost one fish and I'll be damned if I'm gonna lose any more!

Put me in coach...I'm ready to play...today!!!

Here's where I'd like to reiterate how much I appreciate everyone's help that I have received so far. I have learned so much in such a short time and I hope I can give back some of the patience and support that I have received from this forum to someone else that's struggling with this beautiful affliction.

~Kathy~

[EIHAB83]

well the answer would be I think the fish ..... I kept fish all my life but i never loved fish the way I do with discus , they have some kind of magic to make you love them, I am not sure if you have mentioned the price in your list, here in UK they are so expensive but I keep buying!!!!!!
EIHAB

[breed_beyond]

Because if I didn't I woudn't know what to do with my free time. LOL
I spend most the day thinking about or taking care of my fish.